Sporting apparatus suited for fishing and hunting

ABSTRACT

A sporting apparatus especially for fishing is supported on a tackle box, pail or other receptacle and includes a reel rotateably mounted at the free end of a supporting arm. The arm is in turn pivotally mounted upon a bracket which serves as a base and is connected to the tackle box or other article. The arm is connected to the bracket so as to be able to swomg about the pivot from a raised to a lowered position and releasably held in any of a number of selected positions by the provision of a releasable lock proximate the pivot between the arm and the bracket to support the arm in the selected position e.g. raised to a 45 degree incline, horizontal or extending downwardly as desired. Provision is also made for moving the bracket from one part of the tackle box to another or to a different support receptacle such as a plastic pail or to suspend the arm and reel from the wall of an ice fish house. A visual and radio signal transmitters are also provided for letting the fisherman know there has been a strike on the line. Other forms of receptacles with sockets for supporting fishing equipment are also described.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No.09/551,212, filed Apr. 17, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,230, which is acontinuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/436,039, filed Nov. 8, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,347,532, which was in turn a continuation-in-part ofSer. No. 08/959,801, filed Oct. 29, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,189which also claims the benefit of Provisional 60/397,071, filed on Jul.22, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to sporting equipment and more particularly to asporting apparatus suited for fishing and hunting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The general objective of the present invention is to provide asupporting apparatus that can serve as an improved fishing reel holderthat can be used for any kind of fishing but is particularly well suitedfor ice fishing, i.e., fishing on a frozen lake through an opening inthe ice. While fishing devices have been previously proposed for thispurpose, the fisherman often becomes uncomfortable because there is noplace to sit and the fishing equipment is of no assistance in thisregard. One object of the invention is thus to provide a fishing reelholder that can also be used as a seat for the fisherman.

Prior fishing equipment is not well suited for supporting a conventionalfishing rod as well as a separate ice fishing reel. Accordingly, anotherobject of the invention is to provide a fishing reel holder that can beused for simultaneously supporting a fishing reel of the kind used forice fishing as well as a conventional fishing rod.

Another object is to provide a way of supporting a fishing reel holderin any of several positions, e.g., horizontally close to the surface ofthe ice, on the ground at the edge of a lake, or in a vertical positionmounted on a wall, e.g., the inside wall of a fish house, at variousangles.

A further object is to provide a reel holder with a warning or alarmsystem that can be used to signal the presence of a fish on the line butwhich can be removed if desired and used for other purposes such ashunting or even as a burglar alarm to indicate that a burglar hasentered the fish house.

Yet another object is to provide a fishing reel holder that can serve asa table in a fish house for supporting various objects, e.g., beveragecups, etc., or can be used as a surface for cleaning and filleting fish.

Another object is to provide a fishing reel holder that serves as atackle box.

Still another object is to provide an alarm that can be mounted invarious positions for sensing and informing the fisherman of a fish onthe line.

It is also an object to provide a support for an electronic alarm withan optional light switch for indicating the presence of fish or game.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fishing reel holderincluding an alarm with a motion detector that includes either amechanical switch or a proximity switch for activating the alarm.

Yet another object is to find a way of supporting a fishing reel so thatit can be raised or lowered and held in selected positions as well asbeing mounted in multiple locations on a tackle box, pail, fish house orother support.

These and other more detailed and specific objects of the presentinvention will be better understood by reference to the followingfigures and detailed description which illustrate by way of example buta few of the various forms of the invention within the scope of theappended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the invention, a fishing apparatus includes a reel thatis mounted for rotation at the free end of a supporting arm which itselfis pivoted to a bracket so that it can be raised or lowered to selectedpositions by a releasable lock incorporated into the pivot. The bracketcan be moved to multiple positions on e.g. a tackle box, pail, or fishhouse.

In another form of this invention, a sporting receptacle, e.g., a tacklebox or pail for holding fishing articles has side walls, a bottom wall,an upwardly opening wide mouth and a pair of horizontally spaced apartsockets on opposing walls of the receptacle proximate its top edge. Thesockets are positioned vertically and are supported by the side walls ofthe receptacle. A pair of L-shaped right angle brackets each includes avertical and a horizontal leg. The vertical leg of each bracket is sizedand arranged to slide into one of the sockets so as to extend upwardlytherefrom above the receptacle for supporting various sporting articlesat an elevation that is raised above the receptacle. The brackets arereversibly supported in the sockets to enable the horizontal leg of thebracket to be positioned so as to extend either outwardly beyond theside of the receptacle or centrally above the receptacle and areinterchangeable between the tackle box and pail. The invention can alsobe sold as a kit in which removable sockets are secured by screws orother fasteners to the wall of a receptacle such as an ordinary tacklebox or plastic pail. A fishing tackle tray supported on the bracket canbe removed and used as a cover for a pail or as a seat for thefisherman.

THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the invention with seatcushion and table surface removed for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the invention shown mounted ona pail with a seat cushion and table surface as they would appear justbefore being attached to the base shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective bottom view of the base of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the base as it appears whenformed from plastic resin.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the invention during use.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the reel and reel support armin two different positions and the alarm mounted on the base.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the invention in use with two reelssupported on the base.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the invention as it appears whenused for simultaneously supporting an ice fishing reel and aconventional fishing rod.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 8 with the conventionalfishing rod in a different position.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a simplified form of wooden base.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the invention as it appears with thebase supported in a vertical position from the wall of a fish house.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the invention showing the alarm of FIG.6 in more detail.

FIG. 12A is a perspective view showing another way of supporting thealarm of FIG. 12.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of the alarm of FIGS. 6 and 12.

FIG. 14 is an elevational view of the reel connected to another form ofalarm.

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view taken on line 15—15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 showing a different way ofsupporting the alarm.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the invention with the reel secured toone end of the base.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the invention in use for supporting afirearm.

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of an alarm in accordance with theinvention mounted on an ordinary fishing pole.

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view, partly broken away, of anotherform of the invention.

FIG. 21 is a front perspective view of a tackle box and transport cartin accordance with another form of the invention.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the tackle box of FIG. 21, with thetackle box elevated above the transport cart.

FIG. 23 is an exploded front perspective view of the invention on asomewhat reduced scale relative to FIGS. 21 and 22.

FIG. 24 is a front perspective view of a tackle box of FIGS. 21–23showing an optional mode of assembly.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the tackle box with forked supportsmounted for holding an article.

FIG. 26 is a bottom perspective view of the tackle box cover.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the transport cart according to theinvention.

FIG. 28 is a view similar to FIG. 27 showing a cutting board beingplaced on top of the transport cart.

FIG. 29 is an exploded perspective view of the reel-supporting tripod ofthe invention.

FIG. 30 is an enlarged perspective view of the tripod supporting sleeveof FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a view similar to FIG. 30 of another tripod supportingsleeve.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of another form of the invention.

FIG. 32A is a partial perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 32 witha different socket.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 32 but mounted on a pail.

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view similar to FIGS. 33 and 34 showing abracket in alternate positions.

FIG. 36 is a partial perspective view similar to FIGS. 33–35 with adifferent socket.

FIG. 37 is an exploded perspective view of the pail of FIGS. 33–35 withfishing equipment mounted thereon, and

FIG. 38 is an exploded perspective view of the pail of FIGS. 33–35 withdifferent fishing equipment supported thereon.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the inventionshowing the reel in raised and lowered positions.

FIG. 39A is a partial perspective view showing another support formounting the fishing reel bracket on a tackle box.

FIG. 40 is a partial plan view taken on line 40—40 of FIG. 39 with thereel mounted on the left side of the arm.

FIG. 41 is a partial perspective view of the reel bracket and associatedstructure on a larger scale.

FIG. 42 is a partial exploded view of the releasable locking pivotbetween the reel support arm and a mounting bracket.

FIG. 43 is a partial perspective view of an accessory holder forsupporting a fishing rod or other sporting article.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view showing the reel and support arm mountedupon the wall of a fish house.

FIG. 45 is a partial perspective view showing the reel support armmounted on the outside wall of a plastic pail.

FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing the bracket for the reel supportarm suspended over an ice hole.

FIG. 47 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 46 showing the reelsupport arm with the reel support arm and reel in position for use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Refer now to the figures wherein the same numerals refer tocorresponding parts in the several views.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention provides a fishing reel holderwhich is especially well suited for ice fishing. The fishing reel holderindicated generally at 10 includes a planar supporting base 12 thatserves as a foundation or framework having an upper surface 14 and alower surface 16. The base 12 is elongated and can be formed from a flatboard of a sturdy wood such as oak or maple or of plastic, and ispreferably generally rectangular in shape as shown, with a pair oflongitudinally extending, laterally spaced apart grooves 18 and 20 inits upper surface 14 for storing one or more reel-supporting arms 22when not in use. The upper surface 14 of the base 12 also has atransversely extending groove 24 communicating with a horizontallyextending aligned passage 26 that serves as a receptacle for thelaterally extending attached end portion 22 a of the reel-supporting arm22. The end portion 22 a is pivotally mounted in the passage 26. A reel28 is supported for rotation on the end piece 29 at the free end 22 b ofarm 22. The arm 22 can be made of metal, e.g., tubing, or reinforcedplastic. The reel 28 holds a supply of fishing line 30 which duringoperation extends downwardly through a hole 32 in ice 34. In order tosupport the arm 22 in an alternate position, a second laterallyextending passage or receptacle 36 is provided through the top of thebase 12 at a location that is spaced apart from the receptacle 26, inthis case relatively close to the right end of the base 12 for enablingthe arm 22 to be held in a different position (as will be describedbelow) or for two reel-supporting arms 22 to be used simultaneously, onewith its attached end 22 a located in the receptacle 26 and the otherwith its attached end 22 a placed in the receptacle 36. The receptacle36 can be closed above by means of a removable metal cover 38 that isheld in place by a screw 40. Each end of the base 12 is provided with abored opening 42, 44 for enabling the base 12 to be suspended in avertical position, e.g., by connecting the base 12 to the wall of an icehouse as shown in FIG. 11 which shows a short piece of rope 46 tiedthrough the opening 42. The openings 42, 44 can also serve as sockets tosupport a yoke for other sporting equipment, e.g. for hunting or trapshooting, as will be described below in connection with FIG. 18.

At the right and left ends of the base 12 are pairs of upright sockets50, 52 to receive vertically disposed, upwardly extending posts 54, 56between which is connected an arm holder 58 for contacting andsupporting a central portion of the reel-supporting arm 22, as bestshown in FIGS. 5 and 6. By raising or lowering the holder 58, the angleof the arm 22 and the height of the reel 28 can be changed. Moreover, ifthe fisherman places the reel-supporting arm 22 in the receptacle 36,the arm 22 will be elevated at a steep angle relative to the base 12 (inFIG. 5 an angle of about 50 degrees) but as shown in FIG. 6 with theattached portion 22 a of the arm 22 mounted in the receptacle 26, thearm 22 will be supported at a much lower angle, e.g., about 25 degreeswith respect to the base 12. This enables the fisherman to adjust theheight and angle of the arm 22 to best suit existing fishing conditions.The holder 58 can be formed from a rigid material such as metal but ispreferably an elastic material such as rubber and can be held in placeby suitable fasteners such as vertically adjustable metal rings havingset screws or rubber O-rings 59 (FIG. 1) which can be moved up or downand will then stay in place. If the holder 58 is rubber, the resilientor yieldable support of the reel-supporting arm 22 provided by theresiliency of the rubber holder 58 will enhance oscillatory action ofthe lure connected to the fishing line 30 by enabling the arm 22 andreel 28 to bounce up and down during use while the fasteners 59 remainfixed in place.

At the center of the base 12 is provided an opening 60, in this case arectangular opening, for receiving a tackle box 62 suitably sized andshaped to fit within the opening 60 and including a rim 64 of theappropriate size to fit into a peripheral groove or ledge 66 around theopening 60 to hold the tackle box 62 in place. The tackle box 62 isprovided with a cover 67 having a pair of upwardly opening,longitudinally extending, laterally spaced apart parallel grooves 68, 70which are aligned with the grooves 18, 20 to provide a storage recessfor one or more of the reel-supporting arms 22 on the top surface 14 ofthe base 12 when the arms 22 are not in use. The base 12 thus serves asa tackle box as well as a support for the reel arm 22 and reel 28. Thetackle box 62 can be provided with a carrying recessed in its topsurface which can be extended by pulling it upwardly to facilitatecarrying the tackle box.

As shown best in FIG. 3, the bottom 16 of the base 12 is provided with apair of longitudinally spaced apart, laterally extending circulargrooves 70 and 72 of an appropriate size to fit a standard-size plasticpail 74 which itself forms no part of the invention. A pail 74 iscommonly taken to the fish house for carrying supplies and taking backthe fish that have been caught. Whenever desired, the base 12 can bemounted on the pail 74 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1 theinvention is used for fishing while mounted on pail 74, but in FIG. 2the invention is used as a seat through the provision of a removableseat cushion 76 of the same size and shape as the base 12 and includingmounting straps 78 with fasteners at their ends, e.g., hook-and-loopfasteners such as Velcro® fasteners, for connecting the ends of thestraps together around the bottom of the base 12. Between the base 12and the seat cushion 76 is provided a removable table top that serves asa cutting board 80 of the same size and shape as the base 12 except forbeing much thinner. The cutting board 80 can be formed, for example,from quarter-inch plywood or quarter-inch plastic sheet, and ispreferably provided with printed dimensions along one edge as shown at82 to provide a ruler for measuring the length of the fish caught. Theseat cushion 76 and the plate 80 which serves as a table, for clarity ofillustration, are not shown in FIG. 1.

When the tackle box 62 is removed, a spindle 84 can be extended throughlaterally spaced apart holes on either side of the opening 60 to supportthe reel 28 in an alternate position at the center of the opening 60, asshown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7 at the center of the base 12 above the fishinghole 32, with the ends of the base 12 supported on the ice 34 on eitherside of the fishing hole 32. When the fisherman requires a warningdevice, an alarm 71 is suspended in the opening 60 on the spindle 84(FIGS. 6, 12 and 13). The alarm 71 will be described in more detailbelow.

By reference to FIG. 7, it will be seen that a reel support arm 90formed from metal with a right-angle bend 92 at its center is supportedin the socket 50 for holding an additional reel 28 adjacent to one endof the base 12 while a similar reel 28 is mounted on the spindle 84 inthe central opening 60. Thus, the rod 90 supports the reel 28 rigidly inplace, and the bend 92 holds the reel 28 at the end of the arm 90 sothat it rotates about a horizontal axis.

Refer now to FIG. 4 which illustrates a base 12 formed from plasticresin. As seen in FIG. 4, the base 12 is hollowed out on the bottom. Thebase 12 of FIG. 4 can be formed from any suitable plastic resin, e.g.,polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl plastic, polycarbonate resin, etc.,and can be manufactured by standard injection molding techniques knownto those skilled in the art. As already described, the tackle box 62 canbe stored in the opening 60 molded in the center of the base 12.

Refer now to FIGS. 8 and 9 which illustrate a trough-shaped fishing rodholster 100 having a downwardly extending supporting post 102 insertedinto the opening 42 at the left end of the base 12 so as to support therod holster 100 a few inches above the upper surface 14 of the base 12.The rod holster 100 is usually held at an oblique angle to support anordinary fishing rod 104 and reel 106 with its distal end elevated sothat the fishing line 106 can extend either over the top of the reel 28as shown in FIG. 8 and thence through the hole 32 in the ice 34 or, ifdesired, the fishing line can extend downwardly in a loop shown bydotted line 108 so as to pass through a sensor 110 of any suitable knownconstruction, such as between a pair of normally closed electricalcontacts that are wired by conductors 112 to a battery-operated electriclight 114 and/or buzzer to signal the presence of a fish when the loop108 is pulled from between the contacts of the sensor 110.

In FIG. 9 the rod holster 100 is shown rotated about a vertical axisaligned with the socket 42, e.g., toward the left side, to support thefishing rod 104 so as to extend the fishing line 106 into a hole 32 offto the left of the base 12. A separate fishing line 30 is entrainedaround the reel 28, and in this case extends through a different hole inthe ice.

Refer now to FIG. 10 which illustrates a simplified, relatively low costbase 12 wherein the same numerals refer to corresponding parts alreadydescribed. In this case the base 12 is economically constructed from awooden plank about one inch thick and has no fishing tackle box.Removably mounted below the plank forming the base 12 is a table surface80 with markings printed along one edge to provide a ruler 82 as alreadydescribed. The table surface 80 can be removably attached to the bottomof the base 12 or can be loose, if desired.

In FIG. 11 the invention is shown in a vertical position secured to aninterior wall 120 of a fish house 122 that includes a floor 124 with arectangular opening 126 above the hole 32 in the ice. The base 12 isheld in a vertical position with the rope 46 or other fastener asalready described so as to position the reel 28 above the floor opening126. The holder 58 again positions the reel-supporting arm 22 at thecorrect angle to properly place the line 30 in the desired location toextend through the opening 126. While a wooden base has been shown inFIGS. 10 and 11, it should be understood that the base 12 can, ifdesired, be formed from plastic resin as already mentioned in connectionwith FIG. 4, in which case the base 12 will be hollow as seen from belowas shown in FIG. 4. The plate 80 (FIG. 2) can be placed below the base12 to cover the hollow bottom of the base 12.

Refer now to FIGS. 12 and 13 which show the alarm 71 of FIG. 6 mountedon the spindle 84 and located in the opening 60. At the upper end of thealarm 71 is an electric light 132 which is wired by means of conductors134, 136 to a radio transmitter 138 having an ON/OFF switch 140 inseries with a battery 142 and a pair of normally closed contacts 144,146 that form a sensor for the fishing line 30 positioned between themin the same manner as shown in FIG. 8. The transmitter 138 can alsoinclude a buzzer for providing an audible signal. Connected to the lowerend of the alarm 71 is a bracket 133 having an axle 135 at its lowerend, upon which the reel 28 is supported for rotation. The reel 28 isprovided with a pair of cam members 28 a which, as the reel rotates, areadapted to contact a switch 148 connected via wires 150, 152 in serieswith the battery 142 and transmitter 138 so that whenever the reel 28rotates, the cam members 28 a will repeatedly close the switch 148 so asto energize the transmitter 138 to provide a radio alarm for the userwho has a receiver 139 tuned to the same frequency. The electric light132 is also turned on by current supplied by the battery 142. Ifdesired, contacts 144, 146 can be used as an alternative to switch 148or both can be used together. If desired, the switch 148 can be aproximity switch of any suitable known constructions, and the cammembers 28 a in that case can be magnets or simply metal members whichare able to actuate the proximity switch 148 when they come in closeproximity to it in a manner known to those skilled in the art, therebyrepeatedly actuating the transmitter 138 and light 132 to signal thefisherman that a fish has struck a lure at the end of fishing line 30.

Refer now to FIG. 12A. In FIG. 12A the alarm 141 is generally similar tothe alarm 71 of FIG. 12 except that it is supported upon an integralfolding tripod 143 with three pivots 143 a supporting folding legs 145which, during use, are placed on the surface of the ice adjacent thehole in the ice through which the body of the alarm 141 extends forsupporting the reel 28 in the water below the ice hole 32. In this case,the alarm 141 has a vertical, hollow, cylindrical casing 139 containingan upright pushrod 137 that is mounted for vertical sliding movementwithin the casing 139. The pushrod 137 has a lower end 137 a whichextends from the bottom of the casing 139 in the path of theswitch-operating cams 28 a that, during operation, push the rod 137upwardly when the reel 28 rotates, thereby operating the remoteelectrical switch 148 which is located above the surface of the water soas to energize the radio transmitter 138, the light 132 and, in thiscase, an audible alarm such as a buzzer 138 a. The alarm 141 is turnedon and off by a manual switch 132 a. If desired, in the alternative, thelower end 137 a of the pushrod 137 can be magnetic and, in that case,the cam members 28 a are also made of a magnetic material so that duringoperation the proximity of magnetic cam members 28 a will function toshift the pushrod 137 axially, thereby operating the switch 141. FIG.12A shows the electric light 132 at the top of the alarm, the manualON/OFF switch 132 a, the radio transmitter 138, the pressure-actuatedswitch 148 which is operated by contact with the pushrod 137, and thebuzzer and battery which are designated by the numeral 138 a. Theembodiment of FIG. 12A has the advantage of not needing an expensivewater-immersible electrical switch as required in the embodiment of FIG.12. It is also versatile in permitting the cam members 28 a on the reel28 to move the pushrod 137 either mechanically or by moving intoproximity with its lower end 137 a so as to magnetically shift the rod137 axially for actuating switch 148.

As a supplemental or alternative form of alarm, the reel 28 can beprovided with a rattle to provide a noise when the reel 28 rotates. Therattle can consist of one or more small compartments in the reel 28containing one or two BB's which move to produce a rattling sound whenthe reel rotates. This will alert the fisherman if he is within earshotof the reel when the fish strikes.

FIGS. 14–16 show an alarm 71 a that is similar to the alarm 71 alreadydescribed wherein the same numerals refer to corresponding parts alreadydescribed. The alarm 71 a comprises a housing 160 containing a radiotransmitter 138 (FIG. 15) wired in the same manner described inconnection with FIG. 13 and is supported as shown in FIG. 14 by beingconnected to a base 120, e.g., a sheet of plywood or the wall of a fishhouse, by means of two screws 162, 164 with one side wall 166 in avertical position. Connected to the side wall 166 is a reel bracket 168on which is supported a spindle 170 for the reel 28. Each of the cammembers 28 a rotates in a circle so as to actuate a switch contact 172of a switch 148 which is wired to the transmitter 138, as alreadydescribed, and to an electric light 132. As shown in FIG. 15, the freeend of each cam member 28 a can be provided with a pocket 28 b. Thefisherman can place a finger in one of the pockets 28 b to facilitatereeling in the fishing line 30. The switch 148 can be a mechanicalswitch with a moving contact or, if desired, a proximity switch in whichcase the cams 28 a can be permanent magnets or simply made of metal. Theswitch 148 can be any suitable commercially available proximity switchof known construction capable of sensing the presence of the switchactuating cams 28 a. As soon as a fish pulls on the line 30, the switch148 will be actuated repeatedly as the cams 28 a turn on the switch 148,thereby repeatedly actuating the transmitter 138 so as to send a radiosignal to the receiver 139 which is carried by the fisherman. Thetransmitter 138 can be turned off and on with a toggle switch 174.

FIG. 15 also shows another kind of base or supporting framework. In thiscase the alarm 71 a is connected by two screws 182, 184 to a baseconsisting of vertically disposed stake 180 which the fisherman hasplaced on the ice 34 next to one of the holes 32. Supporting the alarm71 a on the stake 180 is preferred when fishing without an ice house.The lower end of the stake 180 is provided with a sharp, downwardlyextending metal point which as shown is buried in the ice to support thestake 180.

Refer now to FIG. 16 which illustrates another method of mounting thealarm 71 a. In this case the alarm 71 a is secured to a base comprisinga normally closed, spring-operated clamp 190 which includes a pair ofclamp arms 192, 194 that are pivotally connected together by means of apivot 196 and a pair of opposed jaws 198, 200. The jaws 198, 200 arenormally pressed together by a spring (the ends of which are shown at202) coiled around the pivot 196 so that the jaws 198, 200 will grasp asolid object such as a stick or sheet of plywood 204 which is placedclose to the hole in the ice. As already described, the switch 148 caneither be a mechanical switch with a moving a contact 172 that isdepressed repeatedly by contact with the cam members 28 a or, ifdesired, can comprise a proximity switch which is repeatedly actuated bythe close proximity of the cam members 28 a as they pass the switch 148.If desired, the reel 28 can include a compartment 206 (FIG. 16)containing one or more ball bearings 208 which serve as a rattle whenthe reel 28 rotates to provide a further alarm signal to indicate astrike.

Refer now to FIG. 17 which illustrates the versatility of the inventionby showing another way in which the invention can be set up foroperation. In this case the base 12 is generally the same as alreadydescribed in connection with FIG. 10 except that the slots 18, 20, 24and 36 have been dispensed with. The reel 28 in this case is supportedfor rotation upon a horizontal spindle 58 a which is connected at itsends between the upright supporting posts 54 and 56 (mounted as alreadydescribed in sockets adjacent one end of the base 12) so as to extendupwardly from the planar upper surface of the base 12 with one end ofthe reel 28 overhanging the right end of the base 12 so that the fishingline 30 extends downwardly through the ice hole 32 into the water belowthe reel 28. FIG. 17 also shows how the alarm 71 a is placed just belowthe reel 28 and is preferably attached to the base 12, e.g. by means ofscrews (not shown), with the switch 172 facing upwardly in the path ofthe cam members 28 a as the reel 28 rotates so that the alarm 71 a(already described) is actuated by the rotation of the reel 28.Consequently, when a fish strikes the lure at the end of the line 30,the rotation of the reel 28 will energize the alarm 71 a, therebysignaling the fisherman by means of the light 132, radio transmitter 138or audible alarm such as a buzzer connected in series with the light132.

FIG. 18 shows the further versatility of the invention by illustratinghow the invention can be employed in other sporting activities, such ashunting. In this case a vertical tubular post 220 is supported in eachof the sockets 42, 44 in an upright position with a Y-shaped gun support224 slidably mounted therein and secured in position by means of a setscrew 225 which is threaded through the wall of the post 220, enablingthe gun support 224 to be raised and lowered or rotated about a verticalaxis to any desired position for supporting an article such as a rifleor other firearm 218. Each gun support 224 is provided with diverginginclined arms 226, 228 which form a recess therebetween at 230 forsupporting the article 218. While the arms 226, 228 have been shown forsimplicity to be of tubular configuration, if desired, each of the arms226, 228 can have a flat upper surface to provide a trough-like supportfor the firearm 218. If desired, a sandbag can be placed in the Y-shapedsupport 224 to steady the firearm 218. FIG. 18 illustrates how theversatility of the invention can add to its sales appeal by pointing outto the sportsman that the invention can be employed in other sports suchas hunting as well as for fishing.

Refer to FIG. 19 which illustrates how the invention can be employedwith an ordinary fishing pole or rod 104 which is provided withelectrical switches for actuating any of the alarms, such as the alarm71, 71 a (FIGS. 12A, 13 and 14–17). In this case the conventionalfishing rod 104 has a reel 106 of standard construction with a line 259that extends toward the left in the figure through the eyes to the leftend of the rod 104. Securely fastened to the rod intermediate its endsis an electrical switch 250. The electrical switch 250 can be a small,easily operated switch such as a micro-switch having a switch arm 252that extends to the left with its end in contact with the lower surfaceof the rod 104. The downward bending of the rod (as shown by dottedlines 254) resulting from a fish on the line causes the switch arm 252to be forced downwardly, thereby closing the switch 250 to allow currentto pass through the conductors 256, which are connected to theconductors 150, 152 in place of the switch 148 of FIG. 13, energizingthe alarm 71. Alternatively, the switch 250 is provided with a pair ofresilient, normally closed, electrical contact arms 255, 257 positionedabove the rod 104 and connected permanently to the conductors 256. Touse the contact arms 255, 257, the line 259 is placed between thecontact arms to hold them apart. However, tension produced by a fish onthe line 259 will remove the line 259 from between the contact arms 255,257, thereby closing the circuit through the conductors 256 so as toenergize the alarm 71 or 71 a. An alternative switch 260 is securelyfastened to the handle of the fishing rod 104 adjacent the reel 106. Inthis case the switch 260 has a switch contact 262 that is actuated inany suitable manner by the rotation of the reel 106, e.g. by having acam or proximity member similar to 28 a on the reel 106 so as to closethe switch 260 when the reel rotates, thereby completing an electricalcircuit through conductors 264 which are connected to the conductors150, 152 in place of the switch 148 of FIG. 13, thereby energizing thealarm 71 or 71 a. FIG. 19 illustrates in this way how the alarm 71, 71 aof the invention can also be used with a standard fishing rod and reelto further increase its sales appeal and utility in different fishingapplications.

The invention has many advantages over the prior art. It is inexpensive,reliable, rugged in construction, and can be used to support the reel 28in any of several positions relative to the base 12 as shown in FIGS.5–7. The arm 22 supporting the reel 28 can be placed at a steep angle asshown in FIG. 5 so that, with the arm holder 58 formed from rubber orother resilient material, the reel 28 will bounce up and down on itssupport at 58 more easily than when mounted as shown in FIG. 6 so as toprovide the greatest possible swimming action for the lure.Alternatively, the arm 22 can be placed at a low angle or in ahorizontal position as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 6 within one of theslots 18 or 20 so that the reel 28 can be held rigidly in place as maybe required under some fishing conditions.

The invention also provides an effective alarm to indicate that therehas been a strike on the line. The reel 28 can be mounted either on thealarm 71 or 71 a, at the end of the arm 22, within the opening 60, or ona separate support arm 90 to best meet the fisherman's needs underdifferent fishing conditions that are encountered. In addition, theinvention provides a table surface 80 for the convenience of thefisherman, a scale 82 for measuring the length of the fish caught, and acushion 76 to serve as a seat for the fisherman when the base 12 ismounted on top of a standard plastic pail 74. The openings 42, 44provide means for securing the base 12 in different positions. The basecan be placed on the floor of a fish house 122, hung vertically on thewall 120 of the fish house 122 as shown in FIG. 11, placed on the ice34, the ground next to a lake or ocean, or on the pail 74 when needed asa seat. The openings 42, 44 also serve as sockets for mounting a holster100 for a conventional fishing rod 104 (FIGS. 8 and 9) or for holdingyokes for supporting a firearm used in hunting or trap shooting. Thus,the invention can be used simultaneously as a reel holder for an icefishing reel 28 and for holding a conventional fishing rod 104. Eitherof the alarms 71 or 71 a can be removed when not used for fishing andused for other purposes such as hunting or even as a burglar alarm byplacing the fishing line 30 across the inside of the door of the fishhouse 122 to indicate that the door of the fish house has been opened.When used for deer hunting, the fishing line 30 can be strung across adeer trail so that a tug on the line 30 will indicate the presence of adeer either by actuating the transmitter 138 or the light or both. Theinvention also provides a convenient tackle box for lures and otherfishing paraphernalia.

Refer now to FIG. 20 wherein the same numerals refer to correspondingparts already described. Shown in the figure is a tackle box 300 inwhich the planar base used for supporting a fishing reel in this casecomprises a cover 302 for the tackle box 300. The tackle box 300 alsoincludes a lower body portion 303. The tackle box cover 302 which servesas a planar base for supporting one or more of the reels 28 includes thegrooves 18, 20, 24, 36, sockets 42, 44 and other components alreadydescribed. In addition on the top 306 of the tackle box cover 302 ismounted a handle 304 which is pivotally connected at its lower end tothe top 306 of the tackle box cover 302 to enable the tackle box 300 tobe easily carried. As shown at the right in FIG. 20, the cover 302 ishollow and comprises the top wall 306 with four integral side walls thatextend downwardly from the side edges of the top wall. The cover 302 hasbeen broken away at the right so that the side and top walls as well asthe hollow structure of the cover 302 can be clearly seen.

Inside the tackle box 300 is a multi-compartmented tray 308 having aplurality of compartments 310 for holding fishing tackle. The tray 308is sized and constructed to hold at least one reel supporting arm 22 andat least one reel 28. The lower body portion 303 of the tackle box isprovided with an internal upwardly facing ledge 314 for supporting thetray 308 which is recessed in the lower body portion 303 of the tacklebox 300 when the tackle box is assembled. The cutting board 80 which canbe provided with a printed scale 82 for measuring the size of a fish, ismounted within the tackle box 300 above the tray 308 and below the cover302. The cutting board 80 is preferably recessed into the tray 308 tohold larger items of fishing tackle in the proper compartments. Thecover 302 and the lower body portion 303 of the tackle box 300 areconnected by means of a pair of hinges 318, 320 which are shownseparated in FIG. 20 so that all of the components can be clearly seen.During use, the tackle box 300 is carried to the fishing location bymeans of handle 304. The reels 28 and support arms 22 are then removedfrom the tray 308 and mounted for use as shown, for example, in FIG. 1,5, 6 or 17. The planar base comprising a cover 302 can be used eitherwhile mounted on the tackle box 300 as shown or, if desired, the hinges318, 320 can be separable hinges of any suitable known constructionenabling the cover 302 to be removed from the tackle box 300 and usedseparately.

Refer now to FIGS. 21–31 and especially FIGS. 21–24 which illustrateadditional features of the invention wherein the same numerals refer tocorresponding parts already described. In this embodiment, the lowerbody portion 303 of the tackle box 300 is supported in a transport cart400 having a bottom wall 402, four upright side walls 404–407, a pair ofwheels 408 mounted for rotation at one end, and an extendible wirehandle 410 at the other end which can be withdrawn in the directionshown by the arrow in FIG. 23 so that it projects about 18 inches to twofeet from the nearest side wall 407, allowing the user to easily pullthe tackle box 300 behind him with the wheels 408 on the groundsupporting the weight of the tackle box. The handle 410 is normallyrecessed within a pair of laterally spaced apart, parallel, horizontallyextending channels 412 and 414 on the bottom of the cart 400. The cart400 is also provided with mounting means such as a pair of laterallyextending, circular, downwardly opening grooves 411, 413 to enable thecart to be mounted on top of a standard plastic pail (FIG. 1) which isitself not part of the invention.

To hold the cover 302 in place, the tackle box 300 is provided with apair of toggle-style clasps 416, 418 of suitable known constructionhaving wire clasp members 419 and 420 which engage projections 422, 424on a corresponding lower edge of the cover 302. The hinges 318, 320described above in connection with FIG. 20 are in this case providedwith manually removable hinge pins 318 a and 320 a that allow the cover302 to be entirely removed and inverted as shown in FIG. 26 so that it,itself, can be used as a support for various articles, e.g., the holster100 described above or other articles, and can be provided with internalpartitions 430 which form a number of chambers for storing fishingtackle and other articles. The cover 302 can also be provided with rulermarkings 302′ along its upper edges for measuring fish (FIG. 23).Optionally, if desired, the hinges 318, 320 can be replaced withtoggle-action clasps similar to 416 and 418 or with other fasteners. Inan optional embodiment, the wheels 408 are mounted for rotation directlyon the lower body portion 303 of the box 300. Thus, for example, in thisembodiment the cart 400 of FIG. 21 can be integral with and comprise thebottom of the box 300 so that the wheels 408 consequently are mountedfor rotation directly on the box 300.

The inside of the cover 302 also has sockets 302 a and 302 b forsupporting articles such as a fishing rod holster 100. The top of thecover 302 is provided with transverse passages similar to the passages26 (FIGS. 1 and 2) to receive the lower end portion 22 a of reel supportarm 222. The ends of the cover 302 can be provided with optional hingedbails 332 and 334 to facilitate carrying the cover 302.

The bottom body portion 303 of the tackle box 300 is provided withidentical hinged bails 436 (only one of which is shown in the figures)at each end to which are attached a leather carrying strap 438 havingmetal fasteners 438 a and 438 b at its ends that connect the strap 438to the bails 436. If desired, the tackle box 300 can also be providedwith integral lip-style carrying handles at each end or on the sides.Alternatively, the tackle box 300 can be conveniently carried by meansof the pivoted handle 304 on top of the cover 302. The tackle box 300 isalso provided with connecting means, such as longitudinally spacedapart, laterally extending, downwardly opening circular grooves 417, 419similar to those described above to enable the tackle box 300 to restsecurely on top of a supporting article such as a pail (not shown).

Inside the tackle box 300, on the ledge 314, rests the tray 308described above which serves as a tackle receptacle and can be providedwith one or more partitions such as a removable partition 440 as well astwo downwardly opening circular support grooves 442, 444 allowing it tobe mounted on a plastic pail or other article.

The cutting board 80 already described includes a measuring scale 82along one edge, as well as downwardly facing support mounting means suchas grooves 446, 448. A cushion 450 comprises a rectangular section ofresilient sheet material such as foam rubber or foam plastic which restsupon the cutting board 80 beneath the cover 302 when the tackle box 300is assembled to prevent the tackle from rattling and to cushion thecontents of the box.

Above the cover 302 is provided a seat assembly 451 formed from threecomponents which can, if desired, be bonded together, e.g. by means ofan adhesive. The seat assembly 451 includes a rectangular support plate453, a cushion 456 formed, for example, from a sheet of foam rubber orplastic, and a flexible upholstery overlay 458. The cushion 456comprises a rectangular sheet of the same shape as the supporting plate453, while the overlay 458, which can be formed from a sheet of flexiblevinyl upholstery or leather, has four side wall portions 458 a (only twoof which are shown) that extend downwardly when the unit is assembled soas to enclose the side walls of the cover 302. The plate 453 can also beused as a fish cleaning board or table counter.

Refer now to FIG. 24 which shows how the seat assembly 451 can beplaced, if desired, directly on top of the bottom portion 303 of thetackle box 300 instead of on the cover 302 with the support plate 453recessed into the upper portion of the tackle box and supported alongits edges by means of a shoulder 314. Alternatively, the entire seatassembly 451 can be placed on top of a pail (FIG. 1) such as thatalready described by placing the mounting means, in this case thedownwardly facing opening grooves 452, 454 on the upper edge of the pailor other supporting article for elevating the seat assembly 451. Thus,the seat assembly 451 can be used in any of several ways. It can beplaced on top of the entire tackle box 300 as shown in FIGS. 21 and 23or, alternatively, on top of just the lower portion 303 of the tacklebox 300 (FIG. 24) or, if desired, on top of a pail or other supportingarticle, or directly on the surface of the ice or the floor of a fishhouse (not shown).

The tray 308 (FIGS. 23 and 25) is provided with one or more partitionssuch as the central removable partitions 440 to divide it into two ormore compartments 310. At each end of the tray 308 are provided upwardlyextending integral mounting bases 460, 462 that have vertical sockets464, 466 (FIG. 23) in which the lower ends of forked supports 224 aremounted (see also FIG. 18). The forked supports 224 provide twohorizontally spaced apart, open topped, support means at the sameelevation for holding any kind of sporting article such as a fishing rodas shown in FIG. 25 or even a hunting rifle or spotting scope. Thus,while the forked support 224 has been shown supporting a fishing rod andreel, it can also be used to support other articles such as a shotgun orhunting rifle, and the position of each can be adjusted vertically bymeans of set screws 225 and 226. Each of the mounting bases 460, 462 isalso provided with two horizontally disposed, longitudinally spacedapart, laterally extending cylindrical holes which serve as receptaclesfor receiving the lower end portion 22 a of the reel supporting rod 22at the upper end of which the reel 28 is rotatably mounted (FIG. 23).Thus, when the tackle box 300 is open, the reel 28 and rod 22 can besupported on the tray 308 in any of four locations. The rod holder 22can be secured to either mounting base 460 or 462 close to its outeredge or near its inner edge by selecting the inner or outer receptacle.

FIG. 26 shows that the inside of the cover 302 has vertical sockets 302c and 302 d for mounting either holster 100 or the of supports 224 shownin FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 shows how a transversely extending upright partition can beremovably supported in the transport cart 400 once the tackle box 300 isremoved. The cart 400 can then be used for storage purposes, if desired.FIG. 28 shows how the support plate 453 of the seat assembly 451 can beplaced on top of the cart 400 so that the cart 400 can be used as asupporting base for the seat 451.

The reel 28 can be supported in other ways as shown in FIGS. 29–31. Thecylindrical casing or tube 139 has already been described for supportingthe reel 28 beneath the tripod 143 (FIG. 12A). In FIGS. 29–31, however,the cylindrical casing or tube 139 is longer and can typically be about18 inches to three feet long so that it extends upwardly a considerabledistance above the supporting tripod 143 which is placed over the icehole during use. The tripod 143 in this case comprises three collapsiblelegs 145 which are pivotally secured to a sleeve 500 by means of thepivots 143 a described above. The sleeve 500 has a central vertical bore502, which can slide easily on the tube 139, and has upwardly anddownwardly projecting threaded extensions 504 and 506. During use, thesleeve 500 is slid up or down on the tube 139 until the proper positionis reached and then is clamped in place by means of upper and lowerthreaded collars 508 and 510, respectively, which are screw-threadedonto the extensions 504 and 506 so as to force C-shaped flexibleretaining wedges 507 and 509, which can be formed from plastic material,tightly against the tube 139 to lock the sleeve 500 in place. The topand bottom of the threaded extensions 405, 406 are provided with conicalupper and lower edges to apply pressure on the retaining wedges 507 and509 as the collars 508 and 510 are tightened. Other means for lockingthe sleeve 500 on the tube 139 will be apparent to those skilled in theart. The reel 28 of FIG. 29 is connected to the alarm 141 as describedabove, either by means of an electrical conductor (not shown) or byother actuator means such as the push rod 137 (FIG. 12A) or by means ofthe switch 148 of FIG. 12 which consists of either a mechanical switchor a proximity switch that is repeatedly actuated by the proximity ofmagnetic cam members 28 a as they pass the switch 148.

In FIG. 31 is shown a slightly modified form of the invention in whichthe sleeve 500 is replaced by a sleeve 520 with a central bore 522 thatis slidably mounted during use over the tube 139. The sleeve 520 isprovided with three longitudinally extending, vertically disposed,circumferentially spaced apart and parallel ribs 524 (only two of whichare shown). The legs 145 of the tripod 143 in this case comprisechannels which are each pivoted at 143 a to one of the ribs 524 so thatthe tripod 143 can be collapsed. To act as a shield to cover the sharpupper edges of the legs 145 is a large flange or washer 526.

Supported on the tube 139 just above the washer 526 is a compartmentedtray or pan 540 with a hole 543 at its center for the tube 139 and aplurality of radially arranged, upwardly opening compartments 542 forholding fishing tackle or other articles. The pan 540 can be secured inplace by means of a collar 408 and circular retaining wedge 407 bytightening the collar onto the threaded extension 523. The signalingdevice 141 is mounted on the upper portion of the tube 139 and operatesas described above. At the top of the tube 139 is secured a bracket 550to which is attached by means of screws 552 a non-compartmented tray orpan 554 having a flat supporting surface 555 for holding articles suchas fishing tackle with a circular, upwardly extending rim 556 around itsedge. If desired, the holster 100, which has a downwardly extendingmounting post 100 a, can be supported in the center of the pan 554 byinserting the mounting post 100 a through hole 557 and into a socket 558in the bracket 550. The holster 100 can also be mounted on either theinside or outside of the cover 302 or on the tray 308. The tube 139 canalso be used for supporting other articles such as a spotting scope. Ifdesired, the tube 139 can be made of two telescoping sections withlongitudinally spaced apart ruler marks on an inner section of the tubeto indicate the elevation of the bracket 550. The tackle box 300, tray308, cutting board 80, and transport cart 400 are preferably formed frominjection molded plastic but can be made by other plastic moldingtechniques or can, in the alternative, be formed from metal if desired.

Thus, the tackle box 300 can be easily moved about on the cart 400 whilesupported by the wheels 408 and pulled by the handle 410. In addition,the tackle box 300 can serve as a cushioned seat through the provisionof the seat assembly 451 which can be mounted either on the tackle box300, the cart 400, directly on the floor, on the ice or on a pail orother elevated support, if desired. The tray 308 which holds articlessuch as tackle can also be used as a mount for the forked supports 224as well as the reel 28 and its supporting rod 22. If desired, the pan554 can be provided with one or more handles 557. The pans 540 and 554can be used to hold various articles in the fish house, e.g., tackle,drinks, food, portable electronic equipment, etc. while the reel 28 issuspended at or below the surface of the water within the ice hole.Either the tray 308 or the bracket 550 can also be used to support rodholding holsters 100. The invention therefore provides a highlyversatile tackle box which also serves as a seat and reel support aswell as providing a reel-supporting tripod with pans for holding variousarticles so they are easily accessible in the fish house or, if desired,on the open ice if no fish house is used.

The present invention has multiple uses and can be applied universallyin a variety of different fields, including fishing, hunting, shop orhousehold use and the like. Various components of the invention can becompletely separated from one another, i.e. the assembled unit can bebroken down into parts and can be reassembled in other ways as shown invarious figures. Because the invention allows for separate components tobe removed and repositioned if desired, a sportsman using the inventionis able to select those components and their placement best suited tothe conditions of use or the application encountered whether it befishing, hunting, shop use, household use, etc. The invention thusallows the separate removal or takedown of various components and theselection and reassembly of the components as desired to fit thecircumstances of use. Moreover, the invention has trays or pans whichserve as shelving for tackle and includes a tray having a cutting boardabove it that serves as a removable cover to hold tackle in the propercompartments.

The invention can be used for other things besides fishing tackle, suchas holding household goods, drinks and food as a cocktail table, or as afish cleaning surface or for holding a variety of other household itemsincluding tools and sewing items. The invention also provides theadvantage of furnishing a fishing reel for underwater or above water usewith mechanical or electronic proximity switching that permits the reelto be monitored by means of the alarm. The trays and pans can be held ina fixed position but are also removable so as to provide a collapsibletray or pan of a suitable size that serves as a tabletop. The alarm cancomprise a radio transmitter which, together with a conventionalreceiver (not shown), allows easy monitoring of the reels. The inventionalso provides mounts for the holsters or other fishing holders, restsfor fishing poles or hunting rifles, spotting scopes and the like. Ifdesired, an optional carrying case or insulated cover (not shown) can beused to protect the ice hole from freezing.

Refer now to FIGS. 32–38 which illustrate additional features of theinvention that provide support for various sporting articles during usebut which enables them to be disassembled or knocked down for storage ina compact bundle when not in use.

Refer now particularly to FIGS. 32 and 32A wherein the same numeralsrefer to corresponding parts already described. The tackle box 303serves as a rigid receptacle for use in fishing, namely for holdingarticles such as fishing tackle, and includes spaced apart generallyvertically disposed end walls 600, 602, side walls 604, 608, and anupper open wide mouth 606. The box 303 has a removable top 302 that ishinged to the lower part of the tackle box 303 as already described andcan be held in a closed position by means of latches 416, 418 which areconnected to projections 422 and 424, respectively, on the cover 302when the top of the tackle box is closed. Mounted on the inside walls600, 602 in the lower portion of the tackle box 303 are a pair ofhorizontally spaced apart and opposed substantially identical sockets610 and 612. Each of the sockets 610, 612 has a vertically disposedopening or slot with a rectangular cross-section adapted to receive thevertical arm of an L-shaped bracket 616. Each of the sockets 610, 612 isprovided with a vertically disposed, centrally located slot 624. Aclamping screw 626 extends through the slot 624 and is screw-threadedinto a threaded hole 625 (FIG. 32A) in each bracket 616 for allowing theheight of each of the brackets 616 to be adjusted by first raising orlowering the bracket and then locking it in position by tightening thescrew 626. The height adjustment made possible by the set screws 626 isparticularly advantageous for supporting a shotgun or sighting scope. Asclearly shown, each of the brackets 616 includes a vertical and ahorizontally disposed arm portion which intersect at a right angle. Eachof the brackets 616 can be formed from an L-shaped bar having a 90° bendat its center. The brackets 616 and the sockets 610, 612 all have thesame polygonal cross-sectional shape, in this case a rectangularcross-section. Removably mounted on the top of each of the brackets 616is a forked article support 618 having a pair of spaced apart arms oneither side of a central opening 620. The tackle box 303 and thesupports 618 are preferably formed from plastic resin and the brackets616 are preferably formed from steel or aluminum bar stock. The articlesupports 618 are secured to the brackets 616 by means of removablefasteners such as set screws 622 that have enlarged heads forfacilitating manual removal (FIGS. 33 and 34). During use, the brackets616 are usually positioned as shown in FIG. 32 with the horizontalportion of each of the brackets 616 extending outwardly beyond the walls600, 602 of the tackle box 303. For most purposes, the screws 626 areloosened so that the brackets 616 can be moved to the same elevation andthen tightened to lock them in place to hold any kind of sportingequipment such as a fishing rod, a hunting rifle or even a spottingscope 623. Thus, while the forked article support 618 is shown in FIG.32 supporting a fishing rod, it can also be used for supporting otheritems of sporting equipment with the position of the supports 618adjusted vertically by means of the set screws 626 as required for theparticular item to be placed on the supports 618.

Refer now to FIG. 32A. While the sockets 610, 612 of the tackle box 303of FIG. 32 are shown on the inside of the end walls of the tackle box, asimilar socket 617 can, if desired, be located on the outside surface ofthe end walls of the receptacle as shown in FIG. 32A. If the receptacleis formed from plastic, the sockets 610, 612 and 617 can be moldedintegrally with the plastic forming the wall of the receptacle. Each ofthe brackets 616 is sized, constructed and arranged to slide smoothlyinto either of the socket openings 619. In FIG. 32A a grab handle 436 isconnected to the socket 617. The unit of FIG. 32A has the advantage ofenabling the tray 308 (FIGS. 20 and 23) to fit more easily into the topof the tackle box 303. If desired, the tackle box 303 can becompartmentalized by providing a separator 615 having verticallydisposed longitudinally and laterally extending partitions in the bottomof the tackle box 303. The separator 615 can be made removable bymolding vertically disposed grooves at 613 in the walls of the tacklebox 303 for receiving the ends of the partitions making up the separator615.

Refer now to FIGS. 33 and 34 which illustrates how the embodiment ofFIGS. 32 and 32A is mounted on another form of receptacle, namely aplastic pail 74 suited for use in fishing, e.g. for holding fishingarticles such as bait, tackle, fish that have been caught, etc. Theplastic pail 74 has a bottom wall 71, a generally vertically disposedcylindrical side wall 73 and an upper open wide mouth 75. Moldedintegrally on opposite walls of the plastic pail 74 are a pair ofhorizontally spaced apart, vertically disposed identical sockets 628,each having an upright or generally vertically disposed socket opening630 (only one of which is shown clearly in FIG. 33) for receiving one ofthe brackets 616. Each of the sockets 628 has a vertically disposed slotthrough which extends a set screw that is screw-threaded into the lowerend of each of the brackets 616. It should be noted that the socketopenings 630 are the same size as the ones in the tackle box 303 so thatthe same brackets 616 can be used interchangeably on either the tacklebox 303 or the plastic pail 74. Since the same brackets 616 can be usedwith either the tackle box 303 or the pail 74, the invention hasmultipurpose versatility.

Extending across the top of each of the article supports 618 over theopening 620 is a retaining strap 621 for securing articles such as afishing rod or scope 623 in place during use. One end of the strap 621can be permanently connected to one arm and the other releasably securedin any suitable way as, for example, by means of a hook-and-loopfastener such as Velcro® 621 a (FIG. 34) applied to the top of one ofthe arms. When the brackets and supports are not in use, they can beremoved and stored, either in the tackle box 303 or the plastic pail 74.

Refer now to FIGS. 35 and 36. FIG. 35 shows how the bracket 616 isreversibly supported in the socket 628 so that its free end can bepositioned to extend either centrally over the plastic pail 74 as shownin solid lines or, if desired, it can be positioned to extend outwardlybeyond the side of the plastic pail as shown in dotted lines at 616 a.After the position of the bracket 616 has been changed in this way byturning it 180°, the locking screw 634 is tightened to securely retainthe bracket 616 in the desired position. As a result, the brackets 616can be used to mount articles close to the center of either of thereceptacles 303 or 74 or can be spaced further apart as shown in FIGS.32 and 33 when supporting a larger article between the supports 618.

In a modified form of the invention, a socket 640 which is similar tothe socket 628 is provided on the inside surface of the wall of areceptacle 74 adjacent its upper edge instead of on its outside surface.This construction has the advantage of leaving the outside wall of thereceptacle 74 unobstructed, but because it could in some cases interferewith proper stacking of the receptacles 74, it is not the preferredembodiment. The outside mounting of the socket has the advantage ofenabling the receptacles to be stacked more easily inside one another.If this modification were made, a similar socket 640 should also beprovided on the opposite inside wall of the receptacle 74 in adiametrically opposed position.

FIG. 36 illustrates the position of the horizontal leg of the bracket616 after it has been shifted from a generally centrally extendingposition to an outwardly extending position 616 a. In this case thesocket 672 is a separate piece, e.g. a piece formed from an injectionmolded plastic that is added to the receptacle 74 and comprises part ofa kit that a fisherman can mount on any suitable receptacle such as afishing tackle box or pail. The socket 672 has a generally trough-shapedcenter section that acts as a socket opening to receive the lower leg ofa bracket 616 and a pair of laterally extending flanges 674 and 676which define a mounting surface that is secured to the wall 73 of thereceptacle 74 by means of removable fasteners such as screws 678.Alternatively, the screws 678 can be replaced by another form offastener such as a hot-melt bonding adhesive if desired. The bracket issecured in place by a set screw 680 that extends through a vertical slot682 and is screw-threaded into the bracket 616. By using a socket suchas the socket 672, any commercially available pail that is on hand canbe used to support a pair of brackets 616. The attachment kit comprisingthe attachable socket 672 can also be used in any fishing tackle box andis transferable to any commercially available pail. The socket 672 canbe formed from metal or plastic such as nylon or high densitypolyethylene.

Refer now to FIG. 37 which shows a receptacle 74, namely a plastic pailhaving a pair of sockets including socket 628 on the outside surfaceadjacent an upper edge of the receptacle 74 and a second socket 640 onan inside surface of the receptacle 74 with a vertical socket opening642 for receiving the vertical leg of the bracket 616 on the left sideof the figure. The bracket 616, when positioned to extend centrally asshown, can be used to support various fishing articles. A base member644 is affixed to the bracket 616 by means of a screw 646 and includesan opening 652 for receiving an adapter 654 that is used to hold variousarticles such as a spotlight 656 or a rod holster 100 for supporting afishing rod 660. Either of the latter two items can be inserted into anopening at the top of the adapter 654 and held in place by means of aset screw 658. The base member 644 has a pair of horizontally extendingslots 648 and 650 for receiving one end 22 a of a reel supporting arm 22with a fishing reel 28 rotatably mounted at its outer end. The bracketat 616 b, which in this case extends laterally from the receptacle 74,can also be used to support various fishing accessories such as a depthfinder or underwater camera 661 either of which is attached to thebracket 616 b by means of an upwardly extending mounting screw 662. FIG.37 illustrates the versatility of the invention and demonstrates how thebrackets 616 and 616 b can be used in various positions to support avariety of fishing attachments or accessories. While the receptacle 74has been shown as a pail by way of example, the present inventionenables the same fishing attachments and accessories shown in FIG. 37 tobe mounted on the tackle box 303 of FIG. 32.

Refer now to FIG. 38 which illustrates another way in which theinvention can be used. In this figure, a single bracket 616 is mountedas shown in the external socket 628 with the horizontal leg extendingcentrally. An adapter 682 is secured to the upper surface of the bracket616 by means of a locking screw 684. Connected to the adapter 682 is avertically disposed tube 686 which has mounted on it a tray 690 that issecured in place by means of a threaded collar 692 and circularretaining wedge 694 to the tube 686. The tray 690 can becompartmentalized so as to have several circumferentially distributedchambers for holding different items of fishing tackle, bait or thelike. Also mounted on the tube 686 near its upper end is a radiotransmitter or other signaling device 696. At the upper end of the tube686 is mounted a flanged bracket 698 to which is secured a second tray700 by means of a pair of screws 702. The trays 690 and 700 can be usedfor holding fishing tackle but can act as a table for supporting variousother personal items such as beverages and the like. The tray 700 can,if desired, be constructed and arranged so as to fit the top of the pail74 to serve as a cover when removed from the bracket 698. When placed onthe pail 74, the tray 700 will also serve as a seat for the fisherman,with or without addition of a cushion (not shown). An opening 698 a isprovided at the center of the bracket 698 for supporting other itemssuch as a fishing rod holster 100 having a post 100 a that extends intothe opening 698 a.

The sizes of the sockets on the fishing tackle box 303 and pail 74 areidentical so that the brackets 616 can be used interchangeably on eitherof the receptacles. When not in use, they can be stored convenientlyinside the pail 74 or tackle box 303.

While certain fishing attachments have been shown in FIGS. 37 and 38,the versatility of the invention enables it to be used with a variety ofother attachments, such as various kinds of lights including troublelights, candles or lamps, other forms of rod holders, as well astransducers for depth finders and alarms for indicating a fish on theline.

Refer now especially to FIGS. 39–41 and 44. Shown in the figures is atackle box 300 having a hinged cover 302 and side wall, 604, end wall602, a carrying handle 304 and an upper open wide mouth 606 as describedherein above. The present invention provides a fishing apparatus that iscapable of being supported in several different locations on the tacklebox 300 or on other supporting articles such as a pail or if desired onthe wall of a fish house used for ice fishing. The fishing apparatusincludes a reel 710 that is mounted for rotation on a pivot 712 at theend of a supporting arm 714 which is itself connected to a bracket 716by means of a pivot 718 having a releasable lock that is incorporatedinto the pivot as will be described in more detail in connection withFIG. 42. The releasable locking pivot 718 enables the arm 714 to bepivoted up or down and releasably held in any one of several selectedpositions e.g. raised to an angle of say 45 degrees above the horizontalas shown at 720 in FIG. 39, lowered to a horizontal position (not shown)or lowered further to a vertical downwardly extending position as shownin solid lines in FIG. 39. Secured to the bracket 716 e.g. on the rightside thereof is a radio transmitter 722 of the type described above fortransmitting a signal especially a coded digital radio signal to areceiver carried by the fisherman to indicate a strike. The transmittercan be provided with an on-off switch 724 as well as a lamp such as anLED and beeper indicated at 726 which will alert the fisherman in theevent he is within site of the transmitter 722. An accessory jack (notshown) can also be provided on the transmitter 722 for connecting othersensors or for providing power to related equipment such as underwatercamera 759 (FIG. 39). As shown in FIG. 40, electrical conductors 728extend from the transmitter 722 to a sensor 730 carried by the arm 714in proximity to the periphery of the reel 710 which carries an actuatorsuch as a magnet 732 for triggering the sensor 730 each time the real710 rotates. The sensor 730 can be for example a reed switch or a halleffect switch of suitable known construction. The transmitter 722 can beprovided with LED lights and/or an accessory jack 812 for connecting asupplemental devices to the transmitter 722 if desired. The bracket 716is optionally provided with a strike indicator such as a pop-up brightlycolored float which is enclosed within a transparent tube or an electriclamp such as a LED (not shown) to indicate the presence of a strike onthe line. The arms 806 and 808 can if desired be provided with inchmarkers to serve as a ruler for measuring fish. Refer now to FIGS. 40and 41 which illustrate the reel support bracket 716 in more detail. Asshown in the figures the bracket 716 is in this case the generallyhorizontally disposed bar shaped member having the pivot 718 at its freeend and a coupling element, in this case a dovetail shaped horizontallydisposed end pices 734 which is adapted to be connected to one ofsupports 736 or 738 i.e. in multiple locations on the tackle box 300.The support 736 can be integral with the tackle box or connected byscrews or other fasteners to the tackle box if desired and is providedwith a cooperating coupling member in this case a dovetail shaped socket740 which is sized and configured to receive the dovetail 724. Thetackle box 300 is also preferably provided with a carrying strap 438 asdescribed above which can be formed from leather plastic webbing. Thecarrying strap for 438 can be suitably connected to the tackle box 300as desired but is preferably mounted as shown in FIG. 39 by means of ametal connector at each end that is locked or otherwise held in avertical slot in the support 736 where as otherwise secured to thesupport 736 e.g. by means of the removable fasteners such as screws or asnap connector of known construction(not shown). The pivot 718 can beparallel with the dovetail 734 as shown in FIGS. 40 and 41 or ifdesired, the bracket can be constructed as shown at 744 at the left inFIG. 39 so that the pivot 718 extends laterally perpendicular to thedovetail 734 allowing the arm 714 to be raised or lowed in a planeparallel to the sidewall 604 of the toolbox 300 to provide for thefisherman a variety of different possibilities for positioning the reel710 to thereby furnish much greater flexibility than has been heretoforebeen possible. Thus, the fisherman can easily raise the bracket 716 fromthe position as shown in FIGS. 40 and 41 in the endwall 602 insert thecoupling member 734 into the cooperating coupling member or socket 740of the support 738 on the sidewall 604 as shown at the left in FIG. 39when desired.

Refer now to FIG. 39A which illustrates in another way of mounting thebracket 716 on the fishing tackle box 300. In this case, a support 750which can be formed from metal or plastic and is generally similar inoutline to the support 736 has a vertically disposed pivot pin 752. Thebracket 716 is provided with a vertically disposed bore which ispivotally mounted on the pin 752 so as to support the bracket 716 forpivotal movement about a vertical axis at the center of the pin 752.Other forms of connectors for supporting the bracket 716 on the fishingtackle box 300 will be apparent to those skilled in the art once theprincipals described herein are understood.

Pivotally secured to the free end of the arm 714 by means of a pivot 754(FIGS. 39, 39A and 40) is a fishing line guide 756 in the form of anL-shaped arm having a horizontal portion 758 with an opening for guidingthe fishing line 761. The pivot 754 is preferably spring tensioned sothat the guide 756 is frictionally retained in any position in which itis placed. Any suitable frictional pivot or detent assembly known in theart can be used for enabling the fishing line guide 756 to be held in aposition selected by the fisherman.

Refer now to FIG. 42 which illustrates the releasable lock of thebearing 718 in more detail. As shown in the figure, the bracket 716 isprovided with a plurality of radially extending circumferencally spacedribs 760 around a central stud 762 which forms the center of thebearing. The arm 714 is provided with an annutar projection 764 that hasa plurality of radially extending circumferencally spaced apart groovesor slots 766 that cooperate with the ribs 760 for holding the arm 714 inany selected position about the center of bearing 718. An opening 768 atthe center of the projection 764 fits over the stud 762. The arm 714 isspring loaded so as to be yieldably pressed towards the held bracket 716by means of a suitable resilient member such as a wave washer 770 whichis held in place by means of a nut (not shown) or an internally toothedretaining ring 772 which is forced on to the stud 762 over the wavewasher 770 to yieldably force the grooves 766 into contact with the ribs760.

Refer now to FIG. 44 wherein the same numerals refer to correspondingparts already described. In this embodiment, the support 736 is securedto the wall 780 of a fish house used for ice fishing. The brackets 716,arm 714 and reel 710 as well as the guide 756 are the same as shownabove. In this case, the cooperating coupling members namely thedovetail 734 and socket 740 are used to mount the arm and reel insidethe fish house by connecting it to a support 736 that is either a partof the fish house or is attached to it by means of screws or otherfasteners. Whenever desired, the fisherman can remove the bracket 716from the socket 740 and place it on a different base such as the fishingtackle box 300.

Refer now to FIG. 45 which shows how the reel support arm assembly canbe mounted on a plastic pail 782. In this case, the support 736 issuitably supported on the outside wall of the pail 782. The bracket isthe same as shown in 744 and FIG. 39 with the bearing 718 at its center.The dovetail 734 is slid into the socket 740 as described above when thepail 782 is to be used for supporting the reel support arm assembly 714and reel. The releasably locking bearing 718 functions as describedabove for holding the arm 714 in any selected position, e.g. laterally,upwardly or extending downwardly.

Refer now to FIGS. 46 and 47 wherein the same numerals refer tocorresponding parts already described. In this embodiment, the bracket726 is provided with a rectangular opening 800 into which a rectangularrod 802 is placed during use for suspending the bracket 726 over an icehole 804 with the transmitter 722 just above the surface of the water.The rectangular rod 802 is part of a support assembly comprising a pairof arms 806 and 808 hinged to the square rod 802 by means of a pivot 810so that the assembly can be reduced in size by placing the arms 806 and806 to a collapsed position adjacent the rod 802 when not in use. Toplace the reel support assembly including the arm 714 and reel 710 inuse, the fisherman simply pivots the arms 806 and 808 to the positionshown, next slides the square rod 802 through the square opening 800 inthe bracket 726, rotates the arm 714 to the desired downwardly extendingposition shown in FIG. 47 and then rests the support assembly on the iceso that the reel 710 is submerged below the ice hole 804 with thebracket 726 suspended just above the ice hole 804. The bracket 726 inthis case needs no dovetail 734, and is therefore omitted.

Refer now to FIG. 43 wherein the same numerals refer to correspondingparts already described. In this embodiment the bracket 744 is the sameas that shows on the left side of FIG. 39. The dovetail 734 is slideablymounted in a socket 740 the support 736 on the sidewalls 604 of thetackle box 300. In this case however, the releaseably locking bearingpivot 718 is used to support an accessory holder that has a hollowtubular portion 790 with an open upper end 792 for receiving accessoriessuch as a fishing rod 794 or other articles that can be used for fishingand/or hunting and/or fishing such as spotting scopes for hunting, lampsfor illumination, or hunting rifles, trays for holding fishing lures andlike equipment. While the accessory holder 790 is shown with a rightangle bend it can if desired be made straight with no bend as shown in796 in dashed lines.

Many variations of the present invention within the scope of theappended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art once theprinciples described herein are understood.

1. A fishing apparatus for supporting an arm for fishing from areceptacle having sidewalls and an upper open wide mouth said apparatuscomprising, a support member on the side wall of the receptacle, abracket removably mounted on the support member, an arm for fishingpivotally connected to the bracket by a pivot, a releasable lock as partof the pivot for adjustably supporting the arm in any of the pluralityof selected positions about an axis of said pivot, said lock defining aholder for supporting the arm and a fishing reel or other sportingarticle mounted on the arm to hold the arm in a vertical position or aselected angle or inclination and a sliding connection between thebracket and the support member wherein the bracket is adapted to slidevertically onto said support member for being suspended therefrom. 2.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sliding connection comprises apivot pin extending between the support member and the bracket.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the support member includes an opening andthe bracket includes an end portion adapted to be connected to thesupport member adjacent the opening.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe receptacle comprises a tackle box having a plurality of said supportmembers thereon for mounting the bracket thereupon in differentlocations on the tackle box.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein thesupport member includes an opening comprising a dovetail-shaped socketand the bracket has a dovetail-shaped end piece adapted to slide intothe dovetail-shaped socket.
 6. A fishing apparatus for supporting an armfor fishing from a receptacle having sidewalls and an upper open widemouth said apparatus comprising, a support member on the side wall ofthe receptacle, a bracket removably mounted on the support member, anarm for fishing pivotally connected to the bracket by a pivot, areleasable lock as part of the pivot for adjustably supporting the armin any of the plurality or selected positions about an axis of saidpivot, said lock defining a holder for supporting the arm and a fishingreel or other sporting article mounted on the arm to hold the arm in avertical position or a selected angle of inclination, the pivotalconnection between the support arm and bracket includes a plurality ofradially extending interfitting grooves and ridges surrounding the axisof the pivot and a resilient member for yieldably biasing the ridgesinto engagement with the grooves thereby retaining the arm in any ofsaid selected positions about said pivot.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6wherein the receptacle comprises a pail.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6wherein a radio transmitter is mounted thereupon for transmitting asignal to indicate a strike by a fish.
 9. The apparatus of claim 6including a member supported upon said pivot that has a hollow tubularportion which is open at a free end thereof for receiving a fishing orhunting article.
 10. A fishing apparatus for supporting an arm forfishing from a receptacle having sidewalls and an upper open wide mouthsaid apparatus comprising, a support member on the side wall of thereceptacle, a bracket removably mounted on the support member, an armfor fishing pivotally connected to the bracket by a pivot, a releasablelock as part of the pivot for adjustably supporting the arm in any ofthe plurality of selected positions about an axis of said pivot, saidlock defining a holder for supporting the arm and a fishing reel orother sporting article mounted on the arm to hold the arm in a verticalposition or a selected angle of inclination, the receptacle is a fishingtackle box, the support member is connected to the fishing tackle box, avertically disposed pin extends between the support member and thebracket such that the bracket is pivotally mounted upon by the pinwhereby the bracket can be articulated about a vertical axis at thecenter of the pin and the arm can be raised and lowered to selectedpositions about said pivot between the bracket and the arm.
 11. Afishing apparatus for supporting an arm for fishing from a receptaclehaving sidewalls and an upper open wide mouth said apparatus comprising,a support member on the side wall of the receptacle, a bracket removablymounted on the support member, an arm for fishing pivotally connected tothe bracket by a pivot, a releasable look as part of the pivot foradjustably supporting the arm in any of the plurality of selectedpositions about an axis of said pivot, said lock defining a holder forsupporting the arm and a fishing reel or other sporting article mountedon the arm to hold the arm in a vertical position or a selected angle ofinclination, the bracket is removable from the receptacle for beingsuspended from a support assembly, said support assembly comprises atleast one elongated member that is removably connectable to the bracketfor holding the bracket adjacent an ice hole.
 12. The apparatus of claim11 wherein the support assembly comprises a plurality of said elongatedmembers that are hingedly connected together for suspending the bracket,the arm and a reel thereon so as to extend the arm and the reeldownwardly through the ice hole.